Making the most of the Middle East

The Victorian Government Business Office in Dubai has announced that the Middle East is set to become a major export destination for Victorian food and beverage companies in the next decade. In 2010, Victorian food exports to the Middle East and North Africa were worth $756 million. Exports to the region have grown steadily over the last five years and this is expected to continue.

John Butler, the Victorian Government’s Commissioner for the Middle East and North Africa, said, “Victorian exporters have gained a strong reputation for supplying high-quality, disease-free and halal-certified produce to the Middle East. Over the next few years, we are expecting Victorian food and beverage exports to the region to rise substantially.”

Matthew Alessi, Marketing Manager, Roma Foods, said that his company exports its health-focused Orgran brand to the Middle East, reaping success in countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The company produces a range of natural food products and specialises in wheat-, gluten- and dairy-free products.

“We have been growing our presence in the Middle East over the past three years and during this time have increased sales in the region,” he said. “We are now pursuing further opportunities in countries such as Turkey, Yemen, Morocco and Egypt.”

Alessi said that Victorian Government assistance has been of paramount importance in enabling Roma Foods to achieve its export success to date. “We have worked with the Victorian Government to access market information and get regional export advice about the countries we are willing to export to. This has helped us to research and understand our target markets before taking the leap into exporting. We now export to over 50 countries worldwide.”

Food and beverage opportunities in the Middle East

The Middle East is home to more than 475 million people and continues to experience significant population growth, with forecasts estimating the population will reach almost one billion in the next 20 years.

Butler said that recent research highlighted the fact that many Middle Eastern countries (GCC countries in particular) are heavily dependent on food imports to fill the gap between their limited domestic food production and growing populations.

“Many countries in the Middle East are not able to produce the food they need locally, due to water shortages, a lack of arable land or limited investment in agriculture. As a result, these countries will continue to rely on imports to feed their burgeoning populations.”

According to the Victorian Government Business Office in Dubai, high demand exists for a range of food and beverage products in the Middle East region, including:

• Livestock and premium beef, lamb and veal meats
• Dairy products
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Honey
• Confectionery
• Seafood
• General packaged food and canned food
• Organic food
• Breakfast cereals and healthy food

To facilitate export opportunities, Regional Development Victoria will bring a delegation of Middle Eastern food and beverage wholesalers, retailers, importers and airline companies to Melbourne in October.